After humble beginning, Taravella claims title

April 16, 2009|STACY CASE coralsprings@tribune.com

Before the season started last fall, the J.P. Taravella High School Ice Hockey Club had a difficult time recruiting enough players to fill its roster. But with veteran expertise, word of mouth and dedication, the team not only came together, but won the Southern District Division 1 High School Ice Hockey Championship last month.

"It was a real struggle at first. We had to do what we could to recruit players within our school boundaries. Within a few days from the start of the season, we still didn't have a team yet," said Brian Keintz, who shares head coaching duties with Mike Shannon. "We did everything in our power to pull together to form a team, and I think our guys came together at the right time."

The Southern District tournament took place at Taravella's home rink, Incredible Ice in Coral Springs, where it entered competition as the fourth seed in a field of five.

The underdog Trojans started the tournament by defeating the Cooper City Cowboys, 5-3, and followed with a 3-2 overtime victory over crosstown rival and No. 1 seed Stoneman Douglas. By defeating the Eagles, Taravella earned a spot in the best-of-three championship round against powerhouse North Broward Preparatory School from Coconut Creek, which earned its spot with a victory over St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Trojans won Game 1 of the final, 3-1, before moving on to defeat the Eagles, 4-1, in Game 2. In the final game, Taravella shut out North Broward, 3-0, to clinch the title.

The championship was an unlikely capstone to a season that began quietly.

"It was tough to arrange a team in the beginning because so many of our players also play on either recreational teams or in travel leagues, so that was really our first challenge to overcome," Keintz said. "We then realized that we did have the resources to put a team together, get them on the ice and play well."

In the tournament, teams were seeded according to their regular-season records. The Trojans finished 12-5-3 and earned the fourth spot. Although ice hockey is not a state-sanctioned sport, it does have a governing body -- the Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida. The Trojans play in the Florida Scholastic Hockey League.

"We had a lot of team unity this season and went through a lot of challenges," Keintz said. "The problem was getting a team together, but once we did, [players] all wanted that championship. Many of these guys have played ice hockey together for years and had that level of trust out there with one another."

What made it even more gratifying for Keintz was seeing his veteran players take control and propel the team toward its ultimate goal. "We had continuity and knew where we would be on the ice, while having the senior leadership for the younger players," Keintz said. "This was just an unreal season. We were in the middle of the pack all season long and there were so many teams ahead of us, but our team started to generate confidence, really jelled together and were on the same page to win that title."